Renewal of the Gods
by MADRMyrtenaster
Summary: A long time has passed, an old war was waged to save the mortals. Due to casualties, the Gods and Goddess have bestowed their powers to mortals who are worthy to wield them in event that the darkness that once threatened their would would return. Leilani Mahoe is a college student living in New York City when she starts to have a reoccurring nightmare that has a deeper meaning.
1. Leilani's Awakening

_Chapter 1: Leilani's Awakening _

Screams of agony and pain can be heard as everything was on fire, the innocent pleaded for their life as they were engulfed in flames.

"No...No…! Everyone get away!"

Leilani flung up from her bed panting, she looked around in confusion as she scanned the room out of fear, it was the same nightmare. A world on fire, she was watching it all burn and could hear the innocent people cry out for help but she could not help them. What was the meaning of this dream? Who caused the fire? But most importantly, why was she watching them suffer? The room she was in was hot and humid, it was only seventy degrees today, she looked at the thermostat next to her bed and the air conditioner was on cool? Why was it so hot?

She sighed rolling out of bed, swinging her feet to the side of the bed and gave a long but quiet stretch. Another sigh left her lips and she marched toward her bathroom to prepare for her long, but miserable college life. Leilani stood in the mirror with messy black black hair and orange highlights, she examined herself with half-lidded eyes and turned on the faucet. The silence in the morning was golden to her and this was a peaceful way for her to wake up. Though the silence was appreciated, it was swiftly disrespected by her mother banging on her door.

" Afa'fine ! Afa'fine! Wake your butt up and get to class! You're going to be late again!" Her mother shouted through the door.

Leilani cocked her head toward her alarm clock on her nightstand, "Argh! Why didn't my alarm go off!" She shouted and began rushing to get ready; First, she brushed her teeth in a rushed manner making a complete mess around her mouth. Next, she scurried over to her closet and didn't bother to match today, she slipped into a pair of army green joggers, a white tank-top that stopped above her stomach, and black bomber jacket. And finally, she shoved all of her books into her bag ignoring the organization of it. She gave one last scan around the room, snatched her phone from her bed and burst through her bedroom door running down the stairs. Leilani sat down throwing her bag down next to her chair, she began scarfing her food down with no regards for chewing.

"Slow down Afa'fine! I'll knock you in the head if you keep running in the house like that and chew young lady!" Her mother scolded Leilani as she sat to eat.

"Teuila...you don't have to threaten her, she's already late." Leilani's father said adjusting his newspaper.

"But still Fetu...she's going to fall in here one day and then we have to pay for some bone she broke, hell we might have to do CPR on her because she choked!" Teuila said and placed her hands on her hips watching Leilani eat.

"Mmph...Gotta go! Bye tina ma tama!" She struggled to speak due to stuffing her face, she grabbed her bag racing to the door then to her bike. She hopped on her bike and began pedaling down the busy New York street, listening to irate drivers, construction, and blaring horns. The best part about this bike ride was the breeze that blew her wavy black and orange hair, it was soothing and helped her take her mind off being late. Leilani closed her eyes to take in the breeze.

As Leilani coasted down the street, she opened her eyes and saw an old man stepping out to cross the street. In a split second, she gripped the handlebars and swerved around him. Leilani lost control of her bike for a second but gained control, "SORRY!" She shouted back at him and saw her university insight.

Leilani threw her bike into a stall and locked it, she didn't have a reason to ride it on campus for now since she parked it next to the building. Stumbling off the bike she continued racing toward her Classical studies class, after a few seconds she barged into her class panting and combed back her beautiful black and orange hair breathing heavily.

"And Leilani Mahoe ?" Professor Dunn said as he peeked over his glasses.

"Present…" she huffed gulping slightly and awkwardly made her way to her seat sitting in the back, like usual.

"Impressive timing might I add ...On another note, Welcome to Classical Studies: Intro to Mythology. I'm sure you all signed up thinking this would be a boring lecture about the myths, legends, and their philosophies. But we will actually be focusing on the characters within the tall tales, folk lore's, and legends." Professor Dunn said as he began handing out the syllabus while getting to know his students more. Professor Odion Dunn was a well respected man on campus, he was known to have the answer to every problem a student might have on campus. His wisdom and knowledge would never fail, his judgment was always fair and he swore to always be just in his decisions against his students whether they are wrong or right. He was a dark skinned man, white hair (but not because of age), Hazel eyes, all complimented by his thin frame glasses that he would occasionally peek over to judge his students, not directly, but mentally reminding himself of their shortcomings.

This was unbearable. Leilani wanted to get out of her seat already and do something, anything besides sitting in this room listening to him speak, she couldn't bear the thought of sitting still any longer. In the midst of drowning out Professor Dunn's introduction, She closed her eyes not noticing she had dozed off for a moment as Professor Dunn made his rounds.

As Leilani closed her eyes the dream from this morning reoccurred, in the dream she looked around in terror and covered her ears hearing the screams getting louder, the flames roared around her. Outside of this dream, things began to change around her, the discomfort on her face was evident and the orange highlights in her hair began to glow softly and she began to emit a soft heat wave within the classroom.

"Is it getting hot in here or just me?" A student asked.

"It's like a sauna! Crack a window open!"

Professor Dunn approached Leilani and noticed an increase in temperature, at first, he simply watched the heat waves rise off of her. He tapped Leilani after a few seconds of watching and she woke up in a startled manner, the room returned to its normal temperature. "No napping in class Ms. Mahoe" he said giving her a syllabus. Leilani was confused, she felt warm, her heart was racing and she looked rather shocked. She nodded at his advice and gulped, "Y-Yes sir. I won't...I apologize…" she said looking around at the people who were fanning themselves and claiming they were hot just a few moments ago. She was unaware of the rise in temperature she caused, so she ignored it and turned her attention back to Professor Dunn.

After Professor Dunn's class, Leilani went to her other class with the nightmare still lingering in the back of her mind, she couldn't understand why she was having these burning nightmares. As she thought about the nightmare she soon had a feeling of remorse, she felt as if she should go to Professor Dunn's office and apologize for falling asleep during his introduction to the class. As she stood under the shade of an oak tree, she felt a strange presence shroud her, it made her shiver and feel uneasy.

"Hello...sorry to bother you young lady...I know you are busy and...and you have classes but can you spare an old man a few coins...I'm famished…" the old man said giving a reassuring smile and gripped his cane to keep himself up.

Leilani watched the old man carefully, she still felt this strange presence emitting from him but what made her comfortable was that it wasn't threatening. "Umm...yeah ? Sure I don't mind sure. We all have to eat" she said. While walking to the nearest cafe on campus, she made sure to stay ahead of him just in case something happened and she needed to get away. The two walked into the cafe and she stood next to him reaching into her bag to get her wallet.

"Get whatever you want sir, don't worry about how much it will cost." She said smiling at him.

"Ah! Such a nice young lady, and here I thought this generation was a bunch of spoiled, inconsiderate brats. I really do appreciate it!" The old man said and stared at the menu, not quite sure what to order. "What is a hot item that people get from this establishment?" he asked stroking and scratching his beard. Leilani still felt this unnerving presence emitting from the old man, she still didn't feel like she was in danger, was it her gut feeling or something else. Suddenly, she noticed that she was zoning out and shook her head groaning. "Sorry, I heard the sandwiches are really good especially if you get it with the coffee?" She suggested.

"Ahh, Yes love! Sandwiches with coffee does sound like a great idea! I'll take that! Three sandwiches and two cups of coffee!" He said.

Leilani's eyes widen at his request and laughed nervously, she was shocked by his order but didn't mind it. She left the table walking over to the counter, still feeling uneasy about the man but so far he has not raised any suspicion. Leilani placed the old man's order, grabbed the two coffees off the counter, and returned to him. "Alrighty, your good should be out in a few minutes, would you like anything else? Order as much as you want, I don't mind helping you out" she said smiling softly at the old man.

"You're such a generous young lady, I can tell you were made for big things, ah I do have one more thing to ask of you. I need one dollar to use the pay phone, I have to call an important family member after I eat" the old man said giving a warm smile showing his yellow teeth.

Leilani saw his smile, it made her laugh nervously and it was a bit awkward, "Sure it's an important call am I right?" She joked continuing her awkward laugh that slowly died down. Reaching into her backpack for her wallet she felt that same overwhelming presence shroud over her, she accidentally peeked over her shoulder and locked eyes with the old man. Was it him with that immense pressure? Leilani grabbed her wallet and turned back around smiling, "Here you go." She said handing him four quarters. The old man graciously accepted the quarter's stuffing them into his old jacket, and then an employee from the cafe approached them with a tray of sandwiches.

"Looks like your food is here...I hope you enjoy your meal , I have to go meet with my professor. Try to stay safe out there" Leilani said as she stood up, slipping on her backpack, and pushing in her chair.

"Yes! Yes! Thank you so much! You're a kind and gentle heart, you are the kind of people we need in this world! I promise young lady, you will become something great!" He preached as he shook her hand.

Leilani felt embarrassed and she smiled shyly with a soft chuckle, "No no it's fine, you don't have to thank me, I'm just doing what I think is right. Anyway sir, I really must be going. Have a great afternoon" she said walking away and began marching toward Professor Dunn's office.

After a few minutes, Leilani made it to Professor Dunn's office and right before she knocked she heard him ranting, the subject was unclear but his voice sounded very different than before.

"I-I tell you—it's that girl, I promise! I know everything sir, how dare you question my knowledge! Need I remind you that you came to me because I am wise and — ".

Leilani opened the door and gave a shy wave, "Is this a bad time? I can always come back later?" She asked peeking her head through the crevice of his door. Odion made a weird noise, one that sounded like a cluck, a noise that would come from birds. "No no no! Please come in! What can I do for you, my young pupil!" He said as he was already nervous, tapping his fingers together forcing a smile and praying that she doesn't question the noise.

"Did you—?" She questioned raising her eyebrows referring to the cluck.

"Nope ! I have no idea what you are talking about young one! Must've been one of those damn pigeons outside! Oh how I despise those beady eye scavengers !" Odion said trying to play off the event and ended up giving an awkward laugh.

"R-Right ...anyway...I just came to apologize to you for falling asleep in your class. I thought that was extremely rude of me, I was raised better and I feel horrible...I—"

"No need to apologize dear, sleep is a primary function for humans, it is something we all require. I'm sure you didn't get the proper amount of sleep so a little nap never hurt anyone." Odion said clearing his throat and examined the girl closely. At this moment, Leilani nodded and smiled softly, "Thank you Professor Dunn...you're so nice I won't let you down this semester I promise, " she said as her eyes began to gaze around the room, she did this to get to know the professor's taste and noticed that there were a lot of hieroglyphics. But as her wandering eyes scanned the room she stopped seeing a giant, decrepit, and leathery book behind a glass display. "What's that?" She asked motioning over to it.

"Oh that? It's my book...I mean! It's the uhhh...Umm The Book of Thoth..! It is said to contain ancient texts that have been lost and knowledge beyond comprehension...but it is just a replica of course!" He said trying to turn her attention from it.

Leilani gave him a puzzled look, "Thoth?" She asked as her hand touched the glass, she suddenly felt her hand phase through the glass, it wasn't her own doing that caused this phase. Leilani grabbed the book and felt a surge of power and knowledge flowing through her, she closed her eyes and saw the nightmare she was having unfolding, but this time it gave her the answers she sought. The one who caused the destruction was her, she had murdered thousands and showed no remorse.

"Leilani back away!" Odion scolded her and made her drop the book.

"What the hell is that thing!? It showed me my nightmare that I've been having and it was me! It was me who killed all those people with fire and rocks!" She said huffing, the look in her eyes expressed fear and uneasiness. Leilani shook her head and her vision was blurry, she looked up as her eyes focused and saw a Odion had a bird head instead of a human one, "Professor Dunn!? Why do you have a bird head! What is going on!?"

Odion was worried and began to panic and squawk "No need to worry dear! You are simply seeing things! I do not have a bird head I assure you!" He said waving his hands. Since Leilani was never exposed to this type of magic before, it took a different effect on her, it allowed her to temporarily see Odion in his true form. But she was able to understand the destruction she was going to cause in the distant future.

"Leilani, I'm sure what you saw was a bit hard to understand but...it is a prophecy that involves you...somewhere down the line after a really intense war...Pele, the Goddess of Volcanoes bestowed her powers to the world in hopes that one day, a kind and gentle hearted person would receive them and fight the darkness that is approaching…I believe you have her powers Ms. Mahoe…"Odion explained and prayed that she would understand, and possibly even be excited to join him in his mission to stop this darkness.

Leilani held her head and was confused, she didn't know how to feel about all of this information, "Me? Powers of a goddess? That's crazy, I don't believe you...I'm going to leave Professor Odion. I'm sorry to have intruded on whatever you were doing...but I'm not this person or goddess or whatever.." Leilani left Odion's office, she checked the time on her phone and huffed beginning to run to her bike. "Damnit... I'm going to be late for work!" She groaned racing to her bike, and once she got there she unlocked it and began her ride. As she made her way to work, her mind began to ponder on the information that Odion gave her, it was all overwhelming and she could not sit right with it. 'Goddess of Volcanoes?' , 'Impending darkness?' , and 'other gods?' She thought about all of these topics and just couldn't believe what Odion was saying, how can all of this be true, but the real thought in her head was the meaning of her dream. How could she hurt all those people? Where was that going to happen? But more importantly, why was it happening?

Leilani arrived at work at exactly 4:59 pm, she was supposed to be there at 5:00 pm so this was cutting it close. She worked at a family owned Chinese restaurant named Chou's, she's been there since high school working as a waitress, low pay but decent tips. Leilani stormed into the restaurant panting and stumbling. She clocked in at 5:01pm. "You're late again Leilani, do I have to take that out of your paycheck young lady!" Ken called out from behind the counter as he was counting money and wrote down the amount he counted, he slammed the register and went to talk to Leilani.

"No sir, please don't do that I really need the money. I'm sorry for coming late , I really am I was talking to my professor about class and—" she was then cut off by her upset manager.

"I don't care, you were late last week and twice the week before that, I keep giving you chance after chance, that's it. One more tardy and you're fired. Understood?" He asked huffing as he pushed passed her. Ken was known for being a rough and aggressive manager, he usually threatened his employees to make sure they perform to their best. The rather round man headed to the kitchen to enforce his authority, his voice echoed as he scolded the chefs to raise the temperature of the food and to make sure that it is not cold for the customers.

Leilani sighed and felt stressed, she quickly went into the women's restroom and began changing into her work attire; a long sleeve dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, black sleeveless vest, black slacks, black bow tie, and slip-resistant shoes. She quickly came out of the stall and went to the sink, taking a deep breath followed by a slow exhale she looked into the mirror, she said nothing and felt the stress building. Leilani leaned down to wash her face, splashing cold water onto her brown skin and rubbing it in to relax her a bit. After a few seconds, she stood up and looked in the mirror but she suddenly stumbled back into the stall and saw her eyes glowing orange and the orange highlights in her hair began to glow softly, "What the—!?" She began to hyperventilate and got closer to the mirror examining everything. "What is going on...why and am I glowing...oh my god…." she said and went down to wash her face again, she quickly looked up and everything was gone. "What the hell is going on ...?" She said a bit afraid and heard banging on the door.

"Leilani get out here now! You got tables to wait! Hurry up!" Ken shouted and walked away. `

Leilani shook her head and stuffed her clothes into her backpack, she darted out of the bathroom and threw her backpack behind the front desk and went to work. After a long eight hours, Leilani was exhausted, she was finished with her last table and made sure it was spotless for the sake of Ken. Leilani went to the back of the restaurant dumping the dishes into the warm water for the dishwasher, and sighed walking over to the trash cans located in the back of the house, lobby, and dining area. She picked up the bags and kicked the back door open heading to the dumpster, Leilani was exhausted, her boss had run her into the ground with all the orders and the customers complaints about the food. She tossed the bags into the dumpster sighing softly and suddenly she felt a looming presence over take her, she felt fear and froze, this feeling made her feel uneasy and unsafe. Leilani turned around seeing the outlines of what look like three dogs, but she knew they weren't dogs, she took a step back and felt her back against the dumpster and saw six glowing red eyes in the darkness .

"What the hell is that …!" She felt her heart pounding out of her chest and fear was coursing through her, "S-Stay back!" She shouted and began knocking on the door hard seeing the shadow dogs approaching her. "Open up!" She called out and without noticing her eyes began to glow orange along with her highlights, she then saw one beast lunge at her while she was at the door. As if it was natural, Leilani ducked underneath it and heard it crash into the dumpster, the snarling grew louder from the other two and she planned to run past them and away. She began running and dodged the other two, she was able to run out of the alleyway now, but before she knew it, a tendril wrapped around her ankle tripping her and yanking her back into the darkness of the alley.

"LET ME GO!" She screamed and summoned an obsidian dagger, she looked at her hand and saw that it was glowing orange, it felt powerful and it surged with power. She gripped the dagger tightly and once she reached the dog that pulled her in, she impaled the beast in the neck. The beast roared and whined, but it was not enough to kill it, the other two roared and began sprinting down the alley ready to maul her, Leilani gripped her dagger and gritted her teeth, she wasn't going to go down without a fight.

The shadow beasts roared and stampeded down the alley, they had full intentions of harming Leilani and possibly ending her life. Leilani stood up wincing in pain ready for her final stand, still unaware of her glowing hair and eyes she clenched her dagger tighter and frowned. The air around her began heated up, and a heatwave began to form around her and that slowed the shadow dogs a bit but they pushed forward with more determination. Leilani noticed the heat wave and worried, how was she doing that? But, she did know that this sudden heat wave was affecting them and so she strained herself to increase the intensity of it but she was afraid and couldn't do it. The roaring got louder and she watched the dogs leap toward her to maul her.

Leilani crouched down to protect herself in her final line of defense, she screamed loudly then felt cold breeze pass by her, she panted and looked up to see the two shadow dogs frozen mid-jump.

"You know I never got to thank you for sandwiches and coffee love, Hope I wasn't too late and these scoundrels didn't harm you too bad !" a mysterious voice said from the entrance of the alleyway. The man had his arm extended with his hand open, fog rolled off his hands and it was obvious that he was the one who froze them. The man stepped forth from the shadows, he had brown hair with a few grey strips, a full beard to display that he was quite up there in age maybe around his early forties, his clothes were that of a magician, and he was clearly charming. The man came next to her and helped her from the ground.

"H-Huh…? Who are you? I never gave you sandwiches or anything?" She asked while still glowing.

"Ah! Where are my manners! I am Myrddin! The Master Magician! You know? Most people know me by my fictional name of Merlin? But my actual name is Myrddin. I'm the one who made King Arthur...well a King...I suppose...but it was my genius who led him. I was the old hermit you helped today and I am quite surprised by my informants reconnaissance!" He boasted while dusting her off.

"Informant?" She questioned as she felt the man dust her off, his eyes and hair stopped glowing and she felt light headed.

"Yes! Professor Odion Dunn, well Thoth if you didn't see that bird brain squawking about how wise and all knowing he is. Personally I think he isn't that wise, he just has a book of weird stories and glyphs but you didn't hear that from me." He said laughing then moved his hands in a circle and drew shapes in the air. He clapped his hands together and slowly pulled them apart causing a portal to slowly rip open in their reality.

"Come , Come ...you have a lot to learn and I have a lot to explain. Don't worry I promise that nothing will be left out. You have a destiny to fulfill and I need to prepare you for your journey.." he said extending his hand. "Trust me love...this will be an interesting ride."

Leilani looked at Myrddin and felt uneasy, but her gut was telling her to go, she would be leaving her family behind and everything. But this all had to be explained, she didn't feel the same after this encounter, she felt a hidden power awaken inside her and it was telling her to follow this mysterious man. She reached out and grabbed his hand stepping through the portal and shortly after it closed .

_End of Chapter 1_

_To Be Continued in_

_Chapter 2: Myrddin and Odion_


	2. Myrddin and Odion's Retrieval Efforts

_Chapter 2: Myrddin and Odion's Retrieval Efforts_

"So let me get this straight...you believe that somebody in...where was it again…?" Myrddin questioned in his proper English voice looking back at his feathery friend who was clearly becoming frustrated with his absentmindedness.

"New York — _squawk — _City! Have you not been listening!?" He shouted slamming his book and frowning at the magician.

"Ah! Yes New York City! The Big Apple, correct?" He chuckled, walking around the study room Odion had been doing his research in. "Yes I have my friend, I was simply just testing you. But if your guess is correct I shall investigate your rumor and confront the child. Hopefully she won't lash out and cause catastrophic damage" he said mumbling that last part.

Myrddin held out his left hand with his index and middle finger extended along with his thumb. He concentrated his magical power effortlessly in front of him and created a portal that leads to the city putting the exit in an alleyway. He then had an idea and snapped his fingers making a magic circle appear on the cracked floor, he stepped into the circle and thought, "Hmm bird-man, what is an appropriate form that these people might accept me and suspect that I am not the all powerful, all knowing, and mighty Myrddin?" He asked, tapping a finger on his upper lip thinking.

"Do not call me bird-man ...how about you take the form of a peddler?" He suggested carrying his book and created the same circle taking the form of a dark-skin male with white hair, Amber eyes, all complemented with thin framed glasses. He wore a white button down dress shirt, black tie, brown slacks, and a black blazer. "See? I have taken the form of a professor, I shall easily find this girl and bring her back to prove that my assumption was correct!" He spoke boldly and rather confidently.

"Ah! Yes a peddler! That should suffice!" He said changing his appearance to look ragged, his hair was long and white, his clothes were dirty and covered in holes. But overall, he looked as if he had survived in the streets for years. "Oh? You believe a bird brain like you will find this child? I bet your best feather you won't!" Myrddin laughed and walked toward the portal looking back, "I'll see you on the other side my feathered friend!" He said stepping through. Once he stepped through he looked around and was slightly disgusted with where he was, the alleyway was the only place where he wouldn't be noticed. It was dark and damp, rats the size of shoes ran by and the smell was rancid. "In England we don't have snicket's this bad...Americans have to do better…" he chuckled and walked out of the alleyway, finding himself on the sidewalk continuing to mark toward the street as he looked around. This was a huge area to search, it seemed impossible, Myrddin didn't even get a trace of godly aura that most of these reincarnations would emit, they either didn't know how to conceal it or exerted too much making them easy to find.

Suddenly, Myrddin saw a girl with black and orange hair speed past him on a bike, he didn't get a good look at her face but he saw the godly aura emitting from her, it wasn't concealed or very noticeable, it was faint but he could easily track it to find her.

"SORRY!" The girl shouted as she sped down the busy street weaving between cars.

Myrddin smiled and cheered, "Well that was easy! I found the girl, but now I need to confirm that it is her!" He laughed and began to head in the direction of her aura knowing that she would be on this campus. Still following the trail, he started to notice that it was fading away and soon he stood in the middle of the campus looking around for the girl he now lost, "Damn it...the search has not restarted, maybe I can ask around? The girl seemed rather popular and well known" he said to himself , beginning his search for the mysterious girl.

Meanwhile , Odion was in his classroom waiting and watching students flood in, he examined each one of his students and none of them displayed any form or spark of godly aura, this was soon becoming frustrating for him. He sat down behind the podium in his classroom and began calling the attendance, he cleared his throat taking his time not really caring about the students now because the one he was looking for was not here. Suddenly, the door opened and he turned his attention to the female standing in the door , "And…. Leilani Mahoe?" he questioned peeking over at the girl. He examined this girl thinking she might be the one and he was disappointed once again.

"Present…" she said huffing and puffing, Odion could tell that she had been in a rush to get to his class.

"Impressive timing might I add ...On another note, Welcome to Classical Studies: Intro to Mythology. I'm sure you all signed up thinking this would be a boring lecture about the myths, legends, and their philosophies. But we will actually be focusing on the characters within the tall tales, folk lore's, and legends." Odion began handing out his syllabus, this was something he learned that human professors gave out in order to allow the students to adjust to the new semester. He made his rounds around the class handing the small packet out and greeting each one of his students, " So can everyone tell me about your favorite Gods or Goddesses? I'll accept characters from Myths and Legends" he said, listening to their answers.

"Zeus" a female said.

"Poseidon" a male student said.

"Thoth" another male student spoke.

Almost breaking character, Odion handed the male student who said his name a syllabus and smiled at him. "Finally, someone who appreciates the power and knowledge of Thoth, I am sure that you will do well in this course young man" he said and patted the students head. It was a weird gesture for a teacher to do but it was ignored. He walked over to Leilani and noticed that she was sleeping, he was going to interrupt her sleep but he noticed that the room was getting slightly hotter and her hair was slightly glowing. 'Hmm what is going on with this child?' he thought as he focused his sight onto her and saw godly aura leaking out from her, this was the he was looking for !

"Is it getting hot in here or just me?" A student asked.

"It's like a sauna! Crack a window open!"

Odion chuckled and approached Leilani and gave her a soft tap, "No napping in class Ms. Mahoe '' he said handing her a syllabus. "Y-Yes sir. I won't...I apologize…" he heard the girl say and he walked away back to his podium. He continued to teach his class and guide them through the syllabus, he found this to be quite boring and didn't understand how human professors can just stand up here and talk about this piece of paper. If he was actually trying to lecture these students about Gods and Goddesses, he wouldn't start with this lousy piece of paper, he would just start with the stories and lectures. After the allotted time of fifty minutes, Odion released his students to move on to their other classes, but he kept a closer eye on Leilani. He wanted to leave his upcoming class and pull her to the side to interview her but the next set of students were rushing in and now he was trapped. 'Damnit…I had her...now she's going to go somewhere and I'll be at step one again looking for her…' he thought and greeted his students as they walked in.

While walking around, Myrddin exhausted himself asking around for the girl and decided to take a small break on a bench, he looked around to see if he could spot the orange trail of energy that she left behind earlier and still couldn't see it. As he closed his eyes to relax a bit more he felt a weak but noticeable presence that Leilani gave off when she rode past him, he quickly opened his eyes looking around to see if he could find the trail again but instead he saw a building emitting the same orange energy he was following. "There she is!" he shouted, getting up and limping over toward the building as fast as he could, Myrddin didn't want to blow his cover as being a peddler so he had to play the part and limp. "Wait…. I just can't barge into that building and grab her… I'm still in this disguise… that would surely blow my cover … I think my only course of action is to wait for her to come out?" he mumbled to himself and began to think more about the subject, he knew she rode on a bike but where could she have parked it. Myrddin was stumped and soon as he was looking around he luckily spotted her bike, "Today is my lucky day isn't it? I shall wait for her here and confirm my suspicion!" He said hiding himself out of sight with magic and would reappear before the girl close by when she comes out.

For what seemed like hours, Myrddin had stayed hidden and was slowly growing impatient, a lot was at stake here and he couldn't stand around wasting time on a guess. Leilani's mysterious presence appeared again and this caught Myrrdin's attention and he finally saw the girl again walking toward her bike, he noticed that the aura was still leaking out from earlier, it was obvious that she didn't know how to conceal this aura after the use of her powers . He smiled and revealed himself slowly walking behind her limping and he cleared his throat ready for his performance.

"Hello...sorry to bother you young lady...I know you are busy and...and you have classes but can you spare an old man a few coins...I'm famished…" he said and gripped his cane, he made a decision earlier to give himself a cane to make the act more believable. While he was waiting earlier Myrddin devised a plan to test Leilani, he would simply exert his aura onto hers as a form of intimidation. If she could feel his aura it would simply make her feel uneasy, but if she couldn't she simply wouldn't feel or see anything.

"Umm...yeah ? Sure I don't mind sure. We all have to eat" she said. Myrddin saw her uneasy expression and could tell that this girl was watching him carefully, his suspicion was confirmed and this was the girl he was looking for. Leilani offered a place for him to eat on campus and he followed her still exerting his aura but not as much, he didn't want to cause the girl to faint or anything, or even attract some unwanted attention to this area, he didn't want to risk the safety of those around them.

The two arrived at the small cafe and Myrddin, this place was quite impressive it reminded him of a standard English pub back in England. He would visit quite often in his normal attire but since this was a special occasion he couldn't enjoy the atmosphere of the cafe.

"Get whatever you want sir, don't worry about how much it will cost." Leilani said, smiling at him.

"Ah! Such a nice young lady, and here I thought this generation was a bunch of spoiled, inconsiderate brats. I really do appreciate it!" Myrddin said and stared at the menu not quite sure what to order. "What is a hot item that people get from this establishment?" he asked stroking and scratching his beard. Myrddin was still exerting his aura to see if it would continue to affect Leilani, he then saw her holding her head slightly then heard her groan. "Sorry, I heard the sandwiches are really good , especially if you get it with the coffee?" She suggested.

"Ahh, Yes love! Sandwiches with coffee does sound like a great idea! I'll take that! Three sandwiches and two cups of coffee!" He said.

Myrddin knew his order was quite extreme but he was starving from waiting around all day and really needed this meal. After exerting his aura for so long he decided to ease up on the force, he felt like he was straining Leilani and she might actually pass out sooner or later. Leilani got up and walked over to the counter to place his order, Myrddin was still analyzing the girl to make sure she was who he thought she was and it was clear that she was aware of the presence that was affecting her but clearly she didn't know how to counteract the force, she was inexperienced. Leilani came back to the table and he smiled at her seeing that her demeanor relaxed due to his aura easing up. "Alrighty, your food should be out in a few minutes, would you like anything else? Order as much as you want, I don't mind helping you out" she said smiling softly at the old man.

"You're such a generous young lady, I can tell you were made for big things, ah I do have one more thing to ask of you. I need one dollar to use the pay phone, I have to call an important family member after I eat" the old man said giving a warm smile showing his yellow teeth. He needed to notify Odion that he found the girl and they now needed to discuss how they were going to persuade her to follow them to their realm in order to be taught how to use her powers.

Myrddin saw her uneasy smile and he knew she felt uncomfortable, that wasn't his intended goal but it was getting things done on his part. "Sure it's an important call am I right?" Leilani joked continuing her awkward laugh that slowly died down. Myrddin watched her reach into her bag and he decided to test her again, but this time he did it to the point where he would pose as a threat to her. This test would truly see if her powers had awaken or was she using them in a defense manner. He amplified his aura to absurd levels, this would definitely attract something that was harmful to their location but he did not exert it for too long because this might wear him out. As he was doing this, he saw Leilani peek over her shoulder to look at him, it was made clear that she was aware of his aura and afraid. Myrddin eased up one last time and removed his aura entirely from around her and saw Leilani relax. Leilani grabbed her wallet and turned back around smiling, "Here you go." She said handing him four quarters. Myrddin took the quarters and stuffed them into his old tarnished pocket making sure the quarters didn't slip out, and then an employee from the cafe approached them with a tray of sandwiches.

"Looks like your food is here...I hope you enjoy your meal , I have to go meet with my professor. Try to stay safe out there" Leilani said as she stood up, slipping on her backpack, and pushing in her chair.

"Yes! Yes! Thank you so much! You're a kind and gentle heart, you are the kind of people we need in this world! I promise young lady, you will become something great!" Myrrdin preached as he shook her hand. He watched Leilani disappear in the distance heading to her professor's office from a distance, after seeing the girl disappear he quickly found the nearest telephone booth. Sliding the quarters in one by one he hummed thinking about what he was going to report, he was unaware of Odion's discovery of the girl as well. The phone rang for a few moments and then he heard the ringing stop that was greeted by Odion's voice.

"Professor Odion Dunn, how may I help you?" he asked flicking through his book hoping to get more clues about the girl.

"Ah Odion, you actually answered. Anyway, I found the girl, she is really caring and sweet. She even brought me lunch!" Myrrdin said chuckling softly and looking around to make sure nobody had to use the phone booth.

"I found the girl as well, her name is Leilani, she was in my class but rather sleepy. She fell asleep during my introduction but her aura was extremely unstable, she is dangerous" Odion stated sighing.

"Who wouldn't want to go to sleep while you're talking. Unstable aura? Are you sure you found the right girl? When I was with her she wasn't unstable …. I did see a rise of aura coming from a building, it was her but it wasn't something to worry about" he said.

"I-I tell you—it's that girl, I promise! I know everything sir, how dare you question my knowledge! Need I remind you that you came to me because I am wise and — " Odion was ready to go on a tangent before he hung up abruptly on Myrddin.

"That cheeky —Did he just hang up on me?" Myrddin questioned as many come to find out that he hates when people just hang up on him. Annoyed with what happened he decided to pay Odion a visit and have a more direct conversation with the bird himself. Myrddin walked across campus to Odion's office, he didn't remember the building but lucky for him Odion always left a faint trace of his aura to be followed. It was reckless to do this because it could warrant unwanted attention from outside sources that weren't too friendly. Once he arrived at the door, he saw that it was open and he felt Leilani's aura, she was definitely here, but now it was faint, it was clear that had left prior to him arriving. He changed his appearance since he has no need for it, he slicked his black and grey hair back, he looked at Odion who was bearing his celestial form. He grabbed a chair and sat in it in front of his desk putting his left leg over his right knee.

"Hehe...H-Hi...so what had happened was…—" Odion chuckled rubbing the back of his neck embarrassed by the mess in his office, it was evident that something went down here.

"I can't be arsed, we have one job, to talk to her and convince her to join us. Is that such an impossible mission? So , how'd you screw this up?" Myrddin asked bouncing his left foot that was over his knee, he crossed his arms frowning at the bird waiting for his answer.

Odion sighed and rubbed his temple, he was stressed by the situation and couldn't believe that he fumbled their plans. "I told her about the darkness coming, how she might have Pele's power, and that she is needed to come with us in order to save this world and many others" he said looking at Myrddin with a sense of failure. "I apologize, I have lost sight of our goal and let my pride get the best of me. Let's fix this and continue with our mission, Leilani mentioned that she was going to be late for work" he said clearing his throat and closing his book.

"Leave it to a bird brain to sabotage an easy mission. Alright, I'll head into the city and see if I can find her aura again. In the meantime, clean this mess up and meet me back at Avalon." Myrddin said as he changed his appearance back into the old man and made his way back into the city. The walk was not too long and the master magician finally found his way into the busy streets, he looked around humming and scanning every building from top to bottom searching for her aura. "Where would a girl like her work? Maybe a fashion store? Music? Coffee shop? If he didn't pressure Leilani into running away we would have had her. I'm utterly gutted with him" Myrddin ranted under his breath until he felt a familiar presence, he quickly looked around and saw an orange aura rising from a Chinese buffet establishment, this made him smile and he quickly approached the window peeking in and saw Leilani come out of the bathroom rushing. Once again, Myrddin was conflicted with his cover and he would have to wait again for Leilani to get off of work before he could confront her.

Five hours have passed, it was now 10:00 pm and the buffet was closing. Myrddin had decided to camp out in a nearby cafe, he changed his appearance to a businessman ; blonde hair, green eyes, a black suit, complimented by a white dress shirt and green tie. He sipped his last cup of tea and watched the building carefully to make sure suspicious characters didn't attempt to make a move on her while she was vulnerable. "Come on...I just need you to walk outside so I can just talk to you alone…" he mumbled to himself and saw the back door open, after his hours of waiting he saw Leilani carrying a few trash-bags. Myrddin quickly stood up and stormed out of the cafe in a rushed manner, he looked both ways while crossing the street. Before he entered the alley he quickly hid behind the corner and saw that Leilani was confronted by three shadow beast. Myrddin decided to watch what she would do first, what power would she unleash in this circumstance, he saw her body instinctively dodge the first beast that lunged at her and make a fast break toward the exit of this alley. Not intervening just yet, he saw Leilani get dragged down the alley but this time her hair and eyes were glowing but she had an obsidian dagger this time. Her powers have awakened but not fully, he was impressed and continued to analyze her development, Myrddin watched her attack a beast with the dagger and now she was back at the end of the alleyway fighting for her life. Right before he stepped into the alleyway he felt a strong heat wave emitting from it, she was literally trying to vaporize these beast, he covered his face and groaned. "Alright, this has gone on for long enough…" he said as he raised his arm holding his hand with three fingers extended; his index and middle finger along with his thumb. A small ball of frost formed in front of his hand, he fired a blast of icy wind blew down the alley freezing two of the dogs. He caused frost to build up on the walls and he chuckled softly stepping out of the shadows.

"You know I never got to thank you for sandwiches and coffee love, Hope I wasn't too late and these scoundrels didn't harm you too bad !" Myrddin said as he reached down helping Leilani off the ground and dusting her off slightly.

"H-Huh…? Who are you? I never gave you sandwiches or anything?" Leilani asked while still glowing.

"Ah! Where are my manners! I am Myrddin! The Master Magician! You know? Most people know me by my fictional name of Merlin? But my actual name is Myrddin. I'm the one who made King Arthur...well a King...I suppose...but it was my genius who led him. I was the old hermit you helped today and I am quite surprised by my informants reconnaissance!"

"Informant?" She questioned as she felt the man dust her off, her eyes and hair stopped glowing and she felt light headed.

"Yes! Professor Odion Dunn, well Thoth if you didn't see that bird brain squawking about how wise and all knowing he is. Personally I think he isn't that wise, he just has a book of weird stories and glyphs but you didn't hear that from me." Myrddin said laughing then moved his hands in a circle and drew shapes in the air. He clapped his hands together and slowly pulled them apart causing a portal to slowly rip open in their reality.

"Come , Come ...you have a lot to learn and I have a lot to explain. Don't worry I promise that nothing will be left out. You have a destiny to fulfill and I need to prepare you for your journey.." Myrddin said extending his hand. "Trust me love...this will be an interesting ride."

Myrddin took Leilani's hand stepping through the portal, it closed behind them and the two were transported to Avalon within a matter of seconds. Avalon was a mythical island far from New York, in fact it was in another country, the island was located in the British Isle cut off from human access via boats and planes. Avalon had the structure of a castle, it was filled with cracks and dark corners but that still didn't diminish the beauty it has. The castle still shined in the sunlight due to the golden accents that lined the building. A few passageways exist within the neighboring islands, some in tunnels, train stations, and in the forest. Myrddin ascended up the stairs and pushed open the golden doors revealing a gorgeous garden filled with exotic flowers, marble statues and benches, accompanied with exotic birds that rested in the nearby trees. "Welcome to Avalon Leilani, as you can see this is the courtyard...very vibrant. I often come out here to read and practice my magic" he said escorting her through the courtyard.

"Where is this place? It's beautiful...The Botanical Gardens in New York aren't even this nice. It's like I stepped into another dimension…" Leilani said walking over to a small pond looking into it, she saw her reflection but once again her eyes and hair were glowing softly. She reached down to touch her reflection and saw the water ripple, the image did not change and she sighed staring at herself, she didn't know what this all meant. Myrddin watched her from afar and sighed sliding his hands into his pockets, he knew that it was all too much to understand, especially since Odion bombarded her with so much information at once. "Leilani we have to move forward, once we make it to the inner chambers we can explain everything to you. If you'd like to go home after the talk you are free to do so" Myrddin said watching her more. Leilani looked over her shoulder and there was a hint of sadness and fear in her eyes, she still felt unsure about everything. She stood up and walked over to him nodding, "Let's go, I'll hear you guys out...but I will definitely need to sleep on all of this." she said as they continued marching toward the inner chambers. The two continued their walk through the castle and Leilani appreciated the areas within, there was a training ground, library, and a dining hall. It was breath-taking, she was already taking a liking to the castle already, soon she saw Myrddin open a wooden door and was greeted with a giant room; the room had a blue hologram of the world projected in the middle of it, computers sat across the opposite side of the room to control the hologram, bookcases lined the walls containing knowledge of many legends and folk-lore's, and to make the area more comfortable couches and chairs were littered around to sit around the hologram.

"So this is the inner chambers? I thought it would look more like a dungeon…" Leilani said as she looked around and knocked over a stack of books, "Sorry.." she said picking up the stack and fixing it neatly. "Yeah, we should really decorate this place more...our ummm what is it...our feng shui could use some work" Myrddin said chuckling clapping his hands loudly then shouted, "Odion! I brought a guest!" he said, waiting to hear a response.

Suddenly, Odion fell from the top of a bookshelf groaning and wincing, when he fell a shriek from Leilani was let out "What the hell!" she cried out holding her heart. "G-Give me a moment...I was taking a nap and your shouting woke me up…" he said stumbling to stand. Odion was not in his celestial form; he resembled a bird with blue feathers, hazel eyes, his body was a bit lengthy, his hands became talons along with his feet, and a considerably long beak. His attire was gold and green, he had drapes that covered his waist and chest, on top of his head rested a crown of the same color. Odion rubbed his beak and looked over to see who their guest was.

"Leilani ! This is ummm very awkward...please try to understand ! _-squawk- _It's still me, Professor Dunn...this is just my true form!" he said in a nervous tone and sighed trying to calm down.

"Yes...what the bird man is saying is that he came to you in a disguise...but let's get down to business" Myrddin said walking over to the computer to control the hologram.

"Um...okay…" Leilani said as she carefully stepped around Odion and sat on the couch next to the hologram ready to listen to Myrddin's words.

"So, what you already know is that your powers derive from the Goddess of Volcanoes, Pele. She was quite powerful deity and from what I read she was loved and inspired many of the traditions found in Samoan culture or any culture in Hawaii." he said spinning the globe over to a dark spot. "That right there has us worried, to you it might just seem like a dark spot on the map but in actuality it's something to worry about. Those creatures you fought in the alleyway came from this dark spot, we now know that this darkness has sprouted in New York." he said sighing.

"Who created these dark spots? Who is behind all of this?" Leilani asked looking at both of them somewhat lost.

"Rahdan...he was sealed away four millennia ago, he almost brought the world to a complete blackout...luckily a few heroes sacrificed their lives to stop him, and thanks to them he has laid dormant...until now" Odion said folding his arms.

"Pele was one of those heroes that sacrificed herself...I was honored to be her advisor and to get her blessing before she passed. I will take it upon myself to train you. But you're going to need a lot of work. But we have a task for you. Obviously, we can't go around recruiting other people with godly powers, we'll be found out. So we are sending you in to find them" Myrddin said smiling at her from behind the computer.

"You're what —!" Leilani interjected before seeing a few folders fly past her on the hologram.

"I know this is sudden and we just dropped this on you but once you receive proper training I would appreciate it if you went and found these people and convince them to join us. Please Leilani...this is important and we need all the help we can get." Odion said swiping the folders away and pulling them to his side. He did a few taps on the folders and pictures flew by projecting them larger.

"A dashing young man that has an anger management problem, twins that can't seem to get along with each other, a hotshot that has a talent for music, a wise tactician, and a strong military driven woman. Quite the list...there's also a bear on here?" he questioned the last part.

Leilani looked at all of the pictures, though they did not reveal the faces of the people she would be recruiting and bringing back to Avalon. She held her head sighing and felt a bit stressed out, her hair began to glow without her noticing. Leilani took a deep breath and closed her eyes trying to think things through, how was she going to gather all of these people? Where were they even at? How was she going to convince them to come back to Avalon. Leilani stood up and looked at both Myrddin and Odion, "This is all too much, I simply can't do this by myself, I'm just a regular teenager going to college. I really do need some time to think about this…" she said.

"Understood, I understand how you feel Leilani, please take all the time that you need. Just know, we could really use your help. You would bring a lot to the table and will contribute greatly.." Myrddin said as he opened the same portal they stepped too putting her back at the buffet. "I know you will make the right choice, I meant it when I said you were destined for great things. I will leave the portal there for you only, nobody but you will be able to see it" he said.

Leilani nodded and stepped through, as she did the portal behind her closed and she sighed softly looking around.

"You think she will be back?" Odion asked.

"Why yes, have I ever been wrong?" Myrddin asked turning the system off.

Leilani grabbed her bag and from behind the front desk and quickly rode her bike back to her parent's house. Once she arrived, she dropped her bike on the steps and opened the door quietly, it was now midnight and Leilani knew her parents would be asleep. Tonight's dinner was left in the microwave for her, it was still warm and this made her smile. She sat down at the table thinking about everything that unfolded tonight and what her decision would really be, this was a serious matter and everything she knows and loves would come to an end, was she really ready to take on that responsibility. After she ate her dinner, Leilani marched to her room undressing into her night clothes; a pair of shorts that stopped above her thighs and an oversized shirt. Leilani crawled into bed and quickly drifted to sleep with the events spiraling in her head, but as she drifted into a deep sleep, she didn't have that horrible nightmare that was plaguing her.

As Leilani slept, she did have a dream but this one was far from the one she was always having, she saw a woman wearing a ti-leaf skirt, kupe'e around her wrists and ankles, and a red tube top, accompanied by an haku arranged in a colorful manner. Leilani looked around and saw that everything around her was sky blue and the ground beneath her was like water, she noticed that the woman also had the same color hair as her. She slowly walked around to face the woman and saw that she looked nothing like her.

"Ah, so you've made it past that horrible dream? Congratulations." She said showcasing a beautiful smile and stood up.

"Who are you?" Leilani asked feeling nervous about the woman and was ready to defend herself. "How do you know about the dream?"

"Well, I am Pele. My powers seemed to have made it to you and I'm quite happy for that. I know about the dream because it is us, we will cause that destruction if you don't tame your powers. I also know that you met up with Myrddin today. He is a great teacher…" she said and hugged Leilani tightly and suddenly. "Don't be scared...Everything will be okay, I promise. I'll be there every step of the way…" she said pulling away and handed Leilani an obsidian stone necklace. Leilani watched Pele slowly fade away and she now felt somewhat at ease, she felt more confident in herself and came to a decision.

The next day, Leilani woke up and felt the obsidian necklace in her palm, she peered over smiling and knew what she had to do. She rushed into the bathroom to take a shower, after that she brushed her teeth, washed her face, and pulled her beautiful hair into a ponytail. Leilani slipped into a black sports bra, white tank top, and black leggings; she quickly packed a bag that would suit her travel needs but she would simply buy clothes wherever she was for her journey. The next step was to wish her parents a farewell, they were still sleeping soundly in their beds, she snuck in quietly kissing them on their heads. She felt a great sadness overcome her and this caused the clouds outside to darken with light rain to follow. "Goodbye tina ma tama...I promise to be back …. I love you both so much…." she said before quietly leaving the room.

Leilani grabbed her bike and pedaled to the buffet, she parked the bike against the wall and clutched her bag tightly, she was nervous again but she took a deep breath preparing herself for this journey. Leilani stood in the alleyway for a few moments and saw the portal manifest in front of her again, and without hesitation she stepped through arriving in Avalon. She looked around and smiled seeing Myrddin standing before her with a proud smile and his hands behind his back.

"Blimey...You came back. At first I was beginning to doubt my greatness. Welcome back to Avalon, Are you ready for your dashing mission across the world?" he laughed.

"After a bit of encouragement, I'm as ready as I'll ever be, you better be a good teacher old man" she joked back laughing at him and proceeded to walk toward the golden doors.

"Oh, I won't be the one teaching you, but I do know someone who can mold the finest warriors!" he said as the two entered into the courtyard and golden doors slam behind them.

_End of Chapter 2_

_To Be Continued in_

_Chapter 3: The Darkness Rises_


End file.
